Chapter 361: The Complete Wood Spirit Seed
Chapter 361: The Complete Wood Spirit Seed
The green light sphere was inconspicuous.
When Cao, the bald cultivator from the Yin Demon Sect, died earlier, Chu Ning hadn't noticed it right away.
And now it was still hidden within Xin Wuyao's body, in his dantian.
If it weren't for Chu Ning's strong spiritual sense, as well as his own body already containing the other half of the Wood Spirit Seed, making him more sensitive to its presence, he might never have discovered it.
"It seems that Xin Wuyao's Wood Spirit Seed hasn't been completely refined either," Chu Ning muttered to himself, not feeling too surprised.
After all, the bald cultivator Cao had already broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, and yet the Wood Spirit Seed was still not fully refined.
And Xin Wuyao was only at the late Golden Core stage, so it was normal for him not to have completed the refinement.
However, this did make Chu Ning slightly more cautious.
Although the refinement of the Metal Spirit Seed within his body was also slow, according to Chu Ning's estimation, when he reached the late Golden Core stage, he should be able to completely refine it.
But now that the Wood Spirit Seed had been divided into two parts, he never expected that neither the Nascent Soul cultivator nor the late Golden Core cultivator had been able to fully refine it.
Upon further thought, Chu Ning understood the reason.
Firstly, it was because the Five Elements Chaos Technique he cultivated was more advanced than the techniques cultivated by the two of them, and his spiritual power was also more abundant.
The amount of spirit seed he could refine at the late Golden Core stage was naturally greater than what they could manage.
Secondly, the two of them should have already reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage.
The refinement of the spirit seed was only to help them cross the threshold to the Nascent Soul stage.
What they needed was not the absorption of powerful spiritual energy to increase their spiritual power, but rather an opportunity to break through.
On the other hand, Chu Ning was still in the early stages of the late Golden Core realm, and the amount of spiritual power he required was far greater than theirs.
Just as Chu Ning was thinking about this, the green light suddenly flew out of Xin Wuyao's body.
Perhaps the deceased was no longer able to retain the Wood Spirit Seed.
As the Wood Spirit Seed flew out of Xin Wuyao's dantian, it seemed to sense the presence of numerous cultivators, and it immediately tried to flee into the distance.
None of the people present, except for Chu Ning, expected that the Wood Spirit Seed had not been refined by Xin Wuyao.
So for a moment, they were all caught off guard.
But Chu Ning, who had been keeping an eye on the Wood Spirit Seed, reacted immediately.
Just as the Wood Spirit Seed was about to soar into the sky, he appeared in the air and grabbed it with his hand.
The Golden Core elders of the Green Creek Sect reacted at this moment as well, their faces flashing with surprise as they exclaimed in unison.
"Wood Spirit Seed!"
Just as everyone was witnessing this incredible scene, the Wood Spirit Seed suddenly disappeared into Chu Ning's body.
Its speed was even faster than when Chu Ning had obtained the other half of the Wood Spirit Seed before.
This surprised Chu Ning as well.
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that his body already contained the other half of the Wood Spirit Seed.
It was only at this moment that the Golden Core cultivators of the Green Creek Sect truly realized what had happened.
The elders exchanged glances, and Elder Mu, the silver-haired old woman, sighed, "Who would have thought that the spirit seed would choose its master so willingly.
This is actually a good thing. If this Wood Spirit Seed had fallen into any one of us, not only would we not have been able to keep it safe, but it might have also attracted the greed of other sects.
It might even have invited another large-scale attack from the Yin Demon Sect."
"Indeed!" Elder Zhu, with his black face, chimed in, "The fact that our sect has sacrificed so much and yet still failed to obtain it is proof enough that we are not fated to possess this Wood Spirit Seed.
Fellow Daoist Chu, on the other hand, is the one destined for this good fortune."
Chu Ning was indeed interested in the Wood Spirit Seed, and now that the Golden Core elders of the Green Creek Sect were saying this, he didn't feel the need to be overly modest.
Chu Ning cupped his hands towards them and said, "In that case, I would like to thank all of you, fellow Daoists."
Then he turned his gaze towards the sect's protective array and spoke, "I, Chu Ning, am originally from the Green Creek Sect, and I have quite a connection with all of you.
This time, I have obtained the Wood Spirit Seed, which can be considered a great blessing. I cannot simply take it without offering something in return.
I noticed that although your sect's protective array is quite powerful, there are still some areas that can be improved.
If you fellow Daoists trust me, I can help enhance this array formation."
The Golden Core elders of the Green Creek Sect looked at each other, their faces filled with surprise.
However, no one doubted the sincerity of Chu Ning's offer.
After all, Chu Ning had just demonstrated his prowess by fighting four of them single-handedly and holding the upper hand.
Elder Zhu, with his black face, took the initiative to respond, "Fellow Daoist Chu, since that's the case, let's go into the sect and talk."
"Good," Chu Ning replied. "I'd also like to meet my old friends." As he spoke, his gaze shifted towards Cen Ziqin.
She immediately brought Gu Xiaqing down and landed beside him.
Chu Ning then turned to the four Golden Core cultivators of the Green Creek Sect and introduced, "I haven't had the chance to introduce her yet. This is my Dao companion, Cen Ziqin."
Cen Ziqin's heart skipped a beat when she heard Chu Ning formally introduce her as his Dao companion, but she also felt a sweetness spread through her like honey.
She bowed gracefully to the elders and said, "Ziqin greets all the fellow Daoists. I've heard Chu Ning mention the Green Creek Sect and how all of you took good care of him.
Ziqin is truly grateful."
"Fellow Daoist Cen's words make us feel ashamed," Elder Mu said with a bitter smile, shaking her head.
They, who knew the inside story, were well aware that if Chu Ning hadn't escaped quickly, he would have already been handed over to the Yin Demon Sect by the sect.
Cen Ziqin's gaze turned towards Gu Xiaqing at this moment.
When Chu Ning addressed Gu Xiaqing earlier, she had already sensed the depth of their relationship.
And when Chu Ning introduced Cen Ziqin as his Dao companion, the fleeting look of disappointment in Gu Xiaqing's eyes did not escape Cen Ziqin's notice.
Gu Xiaqing's expression had returned to normal, and she quickly smiled and replied, "Of course, Senior Cen. How could I dare disobey your request?
However, Brother Chu was always dedicated to his cultivation when he was in the sect, and although we were both in Yanjibi at the time, we didn't interact much.
I'm afraid I don't know much about the trivial matters you may be interested in."
Hearing Gu Xiaqing address him as a senior, Chu Ning thought for a moment before deciding not to correct her again.
With his current cultivation base, it would be impossible for her to continue calling him 'senior martial brother'.
And in front of so many cultivators, she couldn't very well address him by name.
In fact, Gu Xiaqing probably wasn't the only one facing this dilemma.
Once they entered the sect, he imagined that others would be in a similar situation.
At that moment, the black-faced elder flew back up to hover above the sect.
"Disciples of the Green Creek Sect!" Elder Zhu's voice rang out, "Our former sect master, Xin Wuyao, was immoral and unscrupulous. He practiced the Blood Demon Art, abandoned our sect's traditions, and disregarded the lives of his disciples.
Even after being discovered by our sect members, he attempted to silence them.
Fortunately, our fellow Daoist Chu Ning stepped in and exposed his true nature.
Xin Wuyao has now been punished for his crimes. Let this be a lesson to all of you. Stay on the right path and work together to bring about a new era for the Green Creek Sect!"
"Yes, Elder!"
The entire sect had been stirred by the events, and countless cultivators bowed in response.
Only then did Elder Zhu gesture to Chu Ning to join him.
Cen Ziqin and Gu Xiaqing trailed behind, deep in conversation, while Chu Ning entered the sect's protective array alongside the Golden Core elders of the Green Creek Sect.
The many cultivators who had just responded to Elder Zhu now turned their gazes towards Chu Ning as he entered the array.
Those who didn't know him were filled with curiosity, while those who did wore expressions of shock and complexity.
In the hundred years since they had last seen him, many of the sect members had made progress in their cultivation.
Yet, here was Chu Ning, who had been merely at the Qi Refining stage, now a late Golden Core cultivator, powerful enough to suppress all the sect's senior cultivators.
The emotions of the crowd were mixed.
Chu Ning's spiritual sense was incredibly powerful, and despite the thousands of eyes on him, he easily located a few familiar faces.
Using his spirit division technique, he sent his spiritual sense to communicate with them.
"Shun Yi, long time no see!"
"He and Liao, it's been a while!"
"Sister Mu, it's been a long time!"
...
Those whom Chu Ning wanted to greet immediately received his spiritual transmission.
Their expressions shifted as they heard his voice in their minds, displaying surprise, joy, and reverence.
It wasn't until Chu Ning's figure disappeared into the main hall with the Golden Core elders that the crowd's gazes finally returned to normal.
Soon after, they received a message summoning them to the sect's discussion hall.
Knowing that Chu Ning wanted to see them, they quickly made their way there.
In no time, the discussion hall was filled with familiar faces from Chu Ning's time at the Green Creek Sect, along with the sect's Golden Core elders.
Seeing all these familiar faces, Chu Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
"He and Liao, back when I was in the Spirit Planting and Spirit Talisman Peaks, I owe you both a debt of gratitude." Chu Ning bowed slightly to the now much older Liao Yunming and He Changyou.
The two men immediately returned his bow.
"Fellow Daoist Chu is too kind," Liao Yunming replied. "Back then, your talent in spirit planting and talisman making far exceeded ours.
We thought your cultivation progress was a bit slow, but who would have thought that your cultivation talent was also so remarkable."
Chu Ning smiled. "It's not that remarkable; I just had a unique opportunity."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Mu Ling, and he asked with a smile, "Sister Mu, are you still making talismans?"
Hearing this, Mu Ling couldn't help but smile bitterly and wave her hands in denial. "Ah, don't mention it. I stopped a long time ago; it just wasn't my forte.
Please don't make fun of me, Fellow Daoist Chu."
Chu Ning couldn't help but smile inwardly as he recalled Mu Ling's past obsession with talisman making.
At that moment, his gaze landed on Qiu Shun.
"Shun Yi, do you remember when we first joined the sect and underwent our first Qi Refining? A hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.
You've entered the Foundation Establishment stage, so it seems you've put in a lot of effort into your cultivation."
Chu Ning's words were not entirely false. Qiu Shun had the same pseudo-spiritual root as him, and they had both started as miscellaneous disciples in the Spirit Planting Hall's Ding District.
Many disciples in the Green Creek Sect spent their entire lives stuck at the middle or late Qi Refining stages.
For Qiu Shun to have reached Foundation Establishment was indeed commendable.
Qiu Shun's expression was complex as he replied, "Chu Ning, I have you to thank for that. The resources you gave me back then helped me progress faster than the other Ding District disciples.
A single step forward can lead to many more, and I was fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment."
Hearing his name from Qiu Shun's mouth brought a smile to Chu Ning's face. It felt warm and familiar.
Qiu Shun's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Chu Ning, where have you been all these years, and how did you become so powerful?"
As soon as Qiu Shun voiced the question, the eyes of everyone in the hall turned to Chu Ning, their curiosity burning brightly.
Qiu Shun had asked the very question they all wanted to know the answer to.
The abilities Chu Ning had displayed today were simply too astonishing for anyone not to be intrigued.
(End of Chapter)
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